Getting By
by Eccentricity97
Summary: Detailing Diana and Dan's life from the accidental pregnancy to Diana's moving out. Omniscient narrating, depicting different characters thoughts, though Diana is the main in this tale.
1. A Sign

"Shit," Diana Miller muttered, tapping the little blue stick against the counter once more. It was a bad reading. This couldn't be right. "Shit, shit, shit. Come on, damnit!" she threw the pregnancy test away from her. It slid noisily across the bathroom counter and hit the wall. The two pink lines remained.

"I can't be pregnant," she muttered, sitting down on the tiny toilet and holding her head in her hands. "Please, God, this can't be right…"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0oo0o

"Marry me," Dan Goodman told her, kneeling down in front of her bed.

"Dan, that's crazy," Diana replied exasperatedly, though a smile edged at her mouth at his excitement.

"I know you think we're too young, but we're not. I'm almost twenty two! And how do you know this isn't a sign saying we're meant to be together?" he smiled at her. Irritatingly, he wasn't as worried as she was. He never was. Always looking at the best, that was Mr. Daniel Goodman for you.

"How do you know this isn't a sign saying 'Get new rubbers'?" she retorted, looking at her boyfriend with a playful annoyance.

"Because it's not," he replied, kissing her lightly on the lips and brushing her reddish hair back from her face. "I love you, Di. It'll work out, I promise."

Diana nodded tiredly, and watched as the dark haired man sped out the door to get to work. She flung herself onto her back, the comforter sliding around underneath her. She was Diana Miller, architecture under-grad, in training to be a savvy business mogul! Not Diana Miller, housewife and mother. She shuddered as she remembered her mother, cooking and cleaning and reading 'Good Homes and Gardens' magazine. All the little breakdowns she'd had alone in the house. No. That would not be her.

But what about Dan? He loved her, he wanted to give her a life. Sure, they were living in a tiny apartment, barely making it by by themselves, but he still wanted to try. And she wanted tot give him the chance. He was so sweet, and steady, and strong. She loved him too. Maybe she could give it a shot. She placed her hand on her still flat stomach, rubbing whatever was inside there gently. She would at least give it a shot…

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

The downpour was heavy, and she could hear the first clap of thunder in the distance. Diana fidgeted restlessly with her plain white dress, something she'd picked up quickly on the way out to the nearest courthouse, which happened to be in Portland. She stood in the large foyer area, feeling inadequate against the immaculate, sterile environment. Dan had ran out quickly, saying he, 'forgot something.' Whatever it was, he needed to hurry the fuck up.

She heard footsteps echoing about the hall. She turned to find Dan, his black hair and blue dress shirt tousled and soaking from the rain, holding a bouquet of flowers, protected with plastic. He gave her a large grin as he unveiled them for her. She pulled them quickly from his hand and gestured toward the room they were holding the 'ceremony' in. He gripped her fair hand tightly and they walked in together, marking the beginning of their new life.


	2. Gabriel

"Jesus Christ, Dan! _Get the damn car!_" Diana screamed from the doorway of the apartment that she shared with her husband. The contractions were pressing and tearing her apart. She gritted her teeth in frustration and pain. _"Dan!"_

_"Coming!"_ he called from the bedroom, frantically packing clothes and grabbing up the car seat they'd bought at a thrift shop for fifteen dollars and running to meet his pregnant wife.

"Hey! Could you guys keep it down? Some people are trying to sleep!" their neighbor, a fat man in his forties, shouted from his doorway.

"Oh, shut the fuck up!" Diana shouted back, holding her belly as another contraction ensued. "Who sleeps at past noon anyway?"

"Just leave it, Di," Dan panted, leading her out the door. "Let's go."  
They hurried down the cramped hallway, rushing out to their car parked just outside the apartment building. Dan threw all their items into the back seat and ran to help Diana into the car.

"I can do it myself!" she snapped, slapping his hands away from her.

Dan threw up his hands in a 'I'm backing off' gesture and slipped into the drivers seat. He shifted the gears and sped off down the street. He made a sharp right turn, rocking Diana against the door.

"Jesus, Dan!" she yelled, righting herself in her seat.

"Sorry," Dan said, spotting the hospital and slowing his speed.

As they approached the hospital parking lot, Diana opened her door and hopped out of the car before Dan had even parked.

"Di!" he yelled, hastily pulling into a spot and collecting their things from the back seat. "Wait!"

"I'm not waiting any longer!" Diana called back, panting as she waddled up to the doors. "I'm going in, and getting this thing out of me. _Now_."

Dan hurried after his wife, lugging along their two duffel bags and the baby's car seat. He had just reached the threshold when he heard shouting.

"I don't care! This baby is coming now! It's not like I can ask it to wait until you can find a doctor! You're a nurse,_ you can do it!_" Diana was screaming at a young blonde nurse, looking scared out of her wits at this crazy pregnant woman.

Dan sighed as he sidled up to Diana, dropping the duffel bags and placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Di, it's okay. Just breathe. Do the breathing exercises we worked on, okay?" he demonstrated by taking several short breaths accented by a slow release. Diana calmed slightly, taking Dan's example.

"I'm sorry," Dan apologized to the nurse. "we're under a lot of stress here. Could you please find us a room?"

The nurse nodded curtly and sped away, eager to escape Diana's wrath. Dan carefully led Diana to a seat in the waiting room, all the while helping her through her breathing exercises. After a while, the blonde nurse returned, accompanied by two others, one of whom was pushing a wheelchair.

Diana gratefully got in, and they quickly ran down to an open room, frantically preparing Diana for labor.

"You ready, honey?" Dan asked, standing next to the bed as his wife gripped his hand tightly.

_"Hnnnnnhh,"_ was all she could manage as another contraction pulled the baby downward.

When the nurses reentered the room, they were accompanied by a doctor, a younger man; no older than twenty six, looking as nervous as he was eager.

_Great,_ Diana thought, adjusting herself in the bed. _Another incompetent jackass._

_Great,_ Dan thought as he watched the doctor wash his hands and pull on rubber gloves. _Another poor kid she can harass until he runs from the room._

"Hello," the doctor said nervously. "I'm Blake Redding, and I'll be your doctor for today. Well not actually 'doctor', I'm not quite done with my residency."

"Aw, fuck," Dan muttered to himself as his wife's bright blue eyes widened.

"What?" she asked, trying to push a polite smile through clenched teeth. She looked quite demented.

"Let's get started," Dan said quickly, averting the young man's terrified gaze from Diana to himself.

"Yes, right," Redding said stupidly, pulling up a stool to the front of the bed. "let's see how dilated you are."

After he measured the extent of dilation, he looked back up at Dan, rather than Diana.

"We have just enough time to do the epidural."

"What? What's that?" Diana asked, her voice panicky and breathless.

"Drugs," the doctor said, flipping his sandy blonde hair from his face. "to help ease pain."

"_Finally_," Diana moaned, laying her head back on the fluffy, white, sterile pillows.

When the epidural had been administered, and Diana was adjusted again, Doctor Redding told them the drugs would take a few minutes, and by then she'd be ready to push. He left the room to give the couple time alone.

"You're doing great, Di," Dan said encouragingly, brushing her sweaty reddish hair from her forehead. "Just a little while little more…"

Diana merely nodded, starting up her breathing exercises again. Doctor Redding entered again accompanied by the same nurses. They helped adjust Diana's hospital gown and helped to prop up her legs for labor. Doctor Redding took his place at the foot of the bed, this time donning a mask and cap as well as surgical gloves. He'd removed his white coat, it hung on the room door.

"Okay, Mrs…" he faltered for her name.

"Goodman," Dan informed him hastily, eager to get a move on.

"Right. Mrs. Goodman, I need you to push. This kid's ready to go." he gave an awkward chuckle, which faded as Diana rolled her eyes.

"Alright, ready? One…two…three…_push!"_

Diana grunted as she tightened her muscles, feeling the weight in her abdomen and uterus shift downward.

"Okay, that's good, Diana," a nurse said from beside her. She was older, Diana could see the strands of silver in her chestnut hair gleaming in the light. "we need another big push like that, alright?"

Diana tightened up again, feeling the weight of her baby move even further downward. She was mildly aware of some stretching occurring as well, though her mind was a wee bit hazy from the epidural.

As they took a break, Dan wiped her glistening forehead and kissed her hair.

"You're almost there, love," he said softly, allowing her to grip his hand as she was forced to push again.

"It's crowning," Redding told them.

_I can feel it, asshole!_ Diana thought, considering the statement imprudent.

"Here's the head…and the shoulders…"

As Diana felt the rest of the baby slide easily out of her, she became aware of crying. It sounded distant at first, but as her mind focused, she realized where it was coming from.

"It's a boy!" Doctor Redding said happily, holding the infant up for Dan and Diana to see.

Dan leaned down and kissed his wife, excitedly repeating, "Hear that, Di? It's a boy! A boy!"

Diana looked up at the doctor, her eyes focusing on the bloody, squirming, squalling baby in his arms. The light was incredibly bright, and it cast a sort of halo around the infant's round head.

_Like an angel_, Diana thought. _He's a little angel._

The baby was laid on her chest as Dan cut the umbilical cord and Redding began sewing up the tearing that had occurred during labor. Diana took a moment to assess her child. His small face was scrunched, and he stared at her with beautiful blue eyes. He gurgled slightly, and she felt his tiny fist move against her. She lifted an index finger to him, and he gripped it tightly.

She felt her heart fill up with a warmth she'd never felt before. Her eyes filled with tears, and she lightly whispered, _"Gabriel."_

"What was that?" Dan asked, looking curiously at his wife while the nurses measured and cleaned the baby.

"Gabriel," Diana said more clearly. "I want to call him Gabriel."

"Well, uh, okay! Gabriel it is! What about his second name?" Dan looked at Diana expectantly.

"Redding," she replied after a moment of thought. "as a reward to the poor kid for not killing my child."

Dan laughed as he agreed to the name. The nurses swaddled the baby in a blue blanket, donning him with a matching cap. Diana smiled as they returned him to her arms.

"Hello, Gabriel," Dan whispered, sitting next to his wife on the hospital bed.


End file.
